


Take Two Pills and Call Me in the Morning

by ginnybean



Series: In Another World [3]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Sweet Doctor Man Time, These Won't Be in Chronological Order, Vignettes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2020-10-30 06:44:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20766944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnybean/pseuds/ginnybean
Summary: Sometimes things work out differently. Sometimes Adelaide falls in love the kind doctor.





	1. Chapter 1

**WINTER YEAR 1**

Adelaide ignored the closed sign on the door of the clinic. It was one of the few days that Harvey wasn’t busy in so far. The winter had hit him hard, which made her worry. His already loose sweater vest seemed even bagger lately. She really couldn’t believe he lectured her all the time to be healthy but won’t take care of himself. She has seen the inside of his fridge and it wasn’t stuffed full of vegetables.

She knocked on his private door. Harvey soon opened it up. His sleeves were rolled up his forearm, she figured she must have interrupted him putting his models together.

“Adelaide, this is a pleasant surprise.”

“It shouldn’t be a surprise, I told you I was coming on your free day.”

“Ah, yes. I just didn’t think it would be the very next one.” He stepped aside to let her in.

“Well, you said winter was your busiest time so I wasn’t sure when your next free day would really be free time.” She lifted the picnic basket she had found in her attic onto his small kitchen table. The basket nearly took up the whole table so she had to place the ingredients on the counter.

“What do you have planned?”

“Well, I only knew a few dishes before moving here and some of those weren’t the best but one really good one was a soup of…” She paused for dramatic effect while she pulled the vegetable out of the bag. She turned to Harvey holding it up.

“It’s parsnip!”

His small smile disappeared. “You grow parsnip?”

“Yes?” She was unsure of the problem. She looked down at the vegetable in questions. It looked fine and it was from the later batch so it would taste sweeter and better than her first attempts at growing.

“Were you careful?” Harvey came closer to her focusing his eyes on her hands.“Many parts of that plant are toxic. Did you have any signs of-“

“Harvey. I am here to see my friend, not a doctor. And certainly not for something I don’t even have.”

He looked back up at her. “Ah, sorry. It’s a bad habit I know.”

“It’s okay. It’s nice to have someone care so much.” She smiled at him and he returned it a little sheepish.

“I am ready to learn, Chef Adelaide. I trust your vegetable handling and knowledge.”

“Good.” She placed the parsnips with the rest of the ingredients. “Now it’s fairly simple so I am sure you can make this one your own after today.”

Harvey came closer to watch exactly what she was doing. The size of the kitchen made it so that he had to be shoulder to shoulder with her. Well, not quite, he was a great deal taller than her. She always forget that till he was standing next to her again. The points were their arms touched seemed to be getting warmer and warmer. The scent that she had come to think of just for Harvey fulled her senses. She knew he didn’t wear any kind of cologne since she had asked him about it once. He had told her he didn’t want it bothering the more sensitive patients. She wondered if he smelled that way because of his soap. Maybe if she pressed her face against his neck she would be able to tell.

She shook her head. Harvey was her friend, she shouldn’t be thinking about things like that. Especially not with him so close to her. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind and hyper focused on making sure he knew how to make at least one good recipe.

Adelaide stayed to enjoy the soup with Harvey. Of course it wasn’t a date, it was just two friends having some good soup.

“Thank you for this Adelaide. Though…” Harvey blushed. “I do feel a little silly being a grown man and having to ask you to teach me how to cook. I feel a little bad about that. I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

“We pretend it’s old-timey days and so the good country doctor has to exchange goods and services for his services.”

“If it was old-timey days I do believe at this point we would be compromised beyond the pale and be forced to marry, Miss Vaughan.”

“I suppose I could do worse than marrying a doctor.”

Harvey placed a hand over his chest. “Your words warm my heart.”

She staged a gasp, “Are you being sarcastic to your betrothed?”

“Perish the thought.” There was a pause before the both broke into giggles.

“I never thought of you being so silly. It’s nice.”

“Life gets dull if you don’t stop to enjoy little things. Being silly is one of them.” Harvey stood to clear the table. “Go relax with some of the wine. I will clean up here.”

“I like that plan.” She moved over to the sofa where Harvey had some wine breathing on the low table. She turned to watch Harvey clean up. “How did you come to know so much about wine?”

“My mother was a sommelier. She taught me a lot.” Harvey continued to talk as she watched him. His place was small enough that she didn’t have to strain to hear him. It was cozy and his soft voice filled to room she found herself drifting off.

“Adelaide,” Harvey’s large hand came to rest of her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see that at some point he had covered her with a blanket. “Sorry to wake you but it’s getting a bit dark. I don’t want you walking home in the snow.”

“Harvey, the paths have been cleared. I should be fine.”

“Still, if you want to can stay here. I just want to make sure that it okay with you, while we don't have to get married if you do spend the night I am sure people will talk.”

She thought about it for a minute she could stay here, it was nice and warm. She didn't care what people would say. However, it was supposed to snow tomorrow and she wanted to double-check everything. It was her first winter so she felt a bit paranoid about everything.

“I need to check on the animals before the snow comes. I really shouldn’t stay.”

“Alright, just make sure you call me when you get home okay.”

“Okay.” She went to put on the many layers that let her walk outside. Harvey handled her the basket when she was ready.

“Thank you for this. I really had a great time and I promise to make the soup.”

“Maybe find some other things to cook too.” She took the basket from him. “I still don’t understand how you have gone this long without learning recipes.”

Harvey blushed. “Well, itreached the point where I felt embarrassed to ask anyone so I just muddled along.”

“Don’t be embarrassed, I don’t mind helping you.”

“Good. I’ll have you over for dinner once I am sure I won’t poison you.”

“That sounds nice.” She leaned in for a hug which Harvey quickly returned.

“Now remember, call me when you are home safe.”

“Yes, Doctor I promise.”


	2. Chapter 2

**SUMMER YEAR 2**

It was quiet in Harvey’s office. Even though her legs were feeling shaky she didn’t want to sit in any of the chairs. Her pants were sticking uncomfortably to her legs. The steady sound of rain was softer here but she could tell that the storm hadn’t lightened up that much.

The door opened and Harvey walked up to her. Slowly raised his hands since she didn’t move away he cupped her cheeks. His hands felt blissfully warm against her chilled skin. She leaned forward to tuck herself into his chest. He placed his hand under the towel he had given her to rub along her spine.

“Adelaide, are you okay? I know it can be a shock, what you just went through.”

“I think so. Is Shane fine?”

“Yes, he’s resting now. I can treat his physical aliments but from what you told me I may have to call my friend in Zuzu City.” He pressed a kiss in her wet hair.

“Good, I hope he will get help.”

“I want you to stay here tonight. I will run you a warm bath and you can sleep. I will have to watch Shane for a while but I will be nearby.”

She didn’t have the energy to protest even if she wanted to. “Okay.”

With a gentleness that nearly made her cry Harvey helped her up to his apartment. His bathroom was small enough that the running water soon warmed the room. She did cry when he started to unbutton her shirt.

“Adelaide…”

“I’m okay really. It's just been a lot today and it’s nice to have someone take care of me like this.”

Harvey finished unbuttoning her shirt. He placed a small kiss on her shoulder. In silence, he finished helping her undress and get into the tub.

“I will place some spare clothes on the bed. The phone is connected to the clinic, call me if you need anything.”

“Okay.” Her hands were damp but he didn’t seem to care when she took his hands in hers. “Thank you Harvey.” He didn’t respond, just kissed her forehead before going back to the clinic.

Adelaide wasn’t sure how long she stayed in the water, the chill had long passed her bones and the warm water was making her sleepy. The thought of Harvey being very unhappy if she drowns was the only thing that got her out of the water.

Wrapped in a fluffy towel she walked over to his bed. She held up the sweatpants he had left for her, they were at least six inches too long. At least they would keep her feet warm. His shirt didn’t fit her much better but it smelled like him so she didn’t mind in the slightest. She barely had the energy to braid her hair before burrowing into his blankets to sleep.

She knew Harvey was trying to be quiet, he always tried to be, but she had always been a light sleeper. She opened her eyes to see him stepping out of his pants. His shoulder sagged with exhaustion. He looked up and saw her watching him.

“What time is it?”

“Near dawn.” He came to the bed and she opened up the blanket for him. “Shane should be fine for now so I figured I should try to get a little sleep. I’m sorry I woke you.”

“It’s fine.” She ran her fingers through his hair, lightly massaging his scalp. He made a happy hum that always warmed her heart to hear. “How are you doing?”

He pulled her close. “I’m doing fine. I was able to help him, so long as I am able to help I can manage.” He pressed his face into her exposed collarbone.

She continues to massage his scalp, enjoying his warmth and the sound of the rain coming down. She really did hope that last night was a turning point. She couldn’t ever remember feeling so scared before. The words had stuck in her throat, terrified of not saying the right ones. However, they were safe now. Shane hadn’t died, she hadn’t seen her friend roll himself off a cliff. Heavens, she shuttered, she hated heights.

Harvey noticed her tense. He move up to rest on his elbow, causing her to lay flat on her back. He leaned a little closer to get her face in focus. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “I was just thinking about last night. I’m glad we were able to help. If I hadn’t walked by…”

Harvey leaned down to place soft kisses against her eyes and then her mouth. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“It’s okay.”

“Adelaide…”

“No, really it is okay. It’s an unpleasant memory so I won’t be happy to have it but I don’t think it’s going to haunt me or anything.”

“Are you sure?”

“I mean, I’ve never been through that before so I can’t say for certain but I think so.”

“Please promise to let me know if that changes.” Harvey shifted so one of his hands rested on the small of her back. His large fingers covered a great deal of skin. She wondered when that had become such a comfort. While she had never been outright afraid of him, large people, especially men, had always made her nervous. However, now she liked the fact that his shoulders blocked most of the room from view. She reached up to cup his face.

“Harvey, I love you.” It wasn’t the first time she had said it but it was new enough to make to him blush. She giggled before pulling him down. “Now rest, you’ve had a long night.” She shifted them so she was wrapped around him. She didn’t make a very effective big spoon, but she knew Harvey liked to be held this way. His hand came to wrap around her hand resting on his chest.

“What about your farm work?”

“It can wait one morning, don’t worry about it. I will be here when you wake up.”

Harvey didn’t respond, just pulled her closer.


	3. Chapter 3

**SUMMER YEAR 1**

Adelaide entered the good doctor’s office just to say hi. She liked coming to visit him. He always had a calm sure aura about him. She planned on basking in it after her difficult morning.

“Oh, Hello Adelaide. I was just going to contact you.” Harvey was behind the desk with Maru nowhere to be found.

“You were?”

“Yes. I do know you have only been here a short time but I think we should have you in of an annual check-up. Do you remember when your last one was?”

It certainly was longer than an annual was allowed to be. “Well…”

“Ah, no worries. I am free today if you would like an appointment.”

“Oh.” While she really didn’t want to she could tell that Harvey was mainly being polite. He was a very serious doctor and she was sure he kept asking her till she set one up. She had to remind herself that she liked Harvey and that someone as kind as him couldn’t suddenly change into an unkind doctor.

“Adelaide?” He sounded a little concerned now.

“Yes, now is fine.” She followed him back into his exam room. She followed most of his instructions easily enough. They had never been this close to each other before. How had she failed to notice how broad he was. When he stepped close to listen to her breathe he basically blocked her entire viewpoint. She also noticed how green his eyes were. They looked leaves after a storm. The thought surprised her. Maybe she had been spending too much time with Elliott if she could come up with things like that. He pressed three fingers against her wrist and she willed her heart to stop beating so fast. She could tell it didn’t work because he frowned at her.

“Your pulse is a little fast, is something the matter?”

“No, not really. I’m just kinda nervous.”

“Oh, I didn’t know hospitals made you nervous. Don’t worry. I’m still your friend and I am just here to help you.”

Harvey was wrong in his assumptions but it was better than confronting the weird butterflies she was feeling so she didn’t bother correcting him. The rest of the exam passed quickly.

“Everything looks good, just make sure you don’t overwork yourself.”

“Yeah, okay.” She hopped down from the table. She looked at Harvey as he filled out his notes. His lips pressed together as he concentrated. It was oddly adorable. She really didn’t need more reasons to find him more attractive but sadly it seemed like her brain wasn’t going to listen to her.


	4. Chapter 4

**SPRING YEAR 3**

The first thing Adelaide noticed when she entered her farm was that the lights in her house were on. She had no reason to turned them on this morning. She wasn’t worried though, Harvey had said he wanted to have dinner with her sometime this week. It also explained why she couldn’t find him in town. She blushed when she remembered running into Abby outside the clinic. She fingered the square foil Abby had passed to her with a wink. Why Abby would have one ready to give to her was beyond her. Also, she was pretty sure it was one of the ones that Harvey gave out. She had just stuffed it in her pocket before anyone could see. That was the last bit of gossip she wanted to float around town.

She entered the house and a wonderful aroma filled her senses. She saw Harvey in the kitchen. She had given him a key a few weeks ago so it wasn’t totally unreasonable for him to be here, especially since she had seen that the lights were on. However, it still warmed her and had her stuck in the middle of the mudroom.

At this point Harvey noticed her. He smiled but it quickly turned into frown he had noticed her face. Harvey moved closer to her, “Is something wrong?”

She shook her head, her eyes a little teary. “No, it's just nice to have someone waiting when I come home. I didn’t realize how much I missed it.”

“Ah.” He pulled her close. “Welcome home, dear.”

She held him even closer. “It’s good to be home.” She breathed in his fresh scent. It was one of her favorite things to do now that she was allowed. It wasn’t his soap, he would still smell like this whether he shower here or at his place. This scent was just uniquely Harvey. Before she turned into a semimetal puddle she pulled away.

“Do you want to clean up before dinner?”

“I’ll just need to change.”

“Okay.” He leaned down to give her a short kiss. “I’ll finish setting up dinner.”

She hummed and watched him walk back to the kitchen. She couldn’t tell what he had made but it smelled very good. She debated on whether or not she should close the sidling door. She usually didn’t, while she kept some spare clothes here she tend to strip down and walk however naked she needed to be towards her room. She had no issues being naked in front of Harvey, she just didn’t want to distract him. Maybe she did, she couldn’t decide. At that moment Harvey opened the oven and the intoxicating smell got even stronger. Okay, dinner first than naked walking. She quickly stripped and washed up before putting on fresh clothes.

She entered the room just as Harvey set down the plates.

“I hope you don’t mind but I got some wine from your cellar.”

“Of course I don’t mind Harvey. You can use anything here as you see fit.”

He smiled at her. “That’s good because the wine you had will go perfectly with dinner tonight.”

“Yeah? And what are we having?” She sat down when Harvey pulled out the chair for her.

“Should I be worried that you can’t tell by looking?”

“No, it looks and smells divine. I just can’t tell what it is, apart from cheesy.”

“It’s eggplant parmesan.” He served her a plate before sitting down. “I didn’t want to make anything too hardy at the end of the day, just enough to keep you full for the evening.”

“I’m sure it will be wonderful, just like the parsnip soap was.”

Harvey chuckled, “I hope I’ve improved since then.”

She took a bite; Harvey had defiantly improved since then. “It’s wonderful.”

They didn’t talk very much for most of the meal. She was far too focused on the meal in front of her. She hoped Harvey didn’t mind, but judging from the besotted smile he was giving her she figured he didn’t. Before long the meal was done.

“Go relax, I’ll clean up.”

“I thought that would be my job.”

“Not today, you’ve done more than enough outside of the house. Let me take care of this.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to fight you on this.”

“Good.” He leaned over to take her plate.

She placed her hand on his cheek. Automatically he turned his attention to her. She pulled him close and gave him a long slow kiss. He gave a disappointed sigh when she pulled back. That made her giggle which caused him to blush.

“I’m leaving before you temp me even more.”

“Awww.” She pulled up her knee to rest her chin against it. Harvey quickly cleared the rest of the table. She sipped the last of her wine as she watched him. Even in doing household chores, Harvey had a precise way of doing everything.

The wine was long gone by the time he started to wash the dishes. Her mind was fuzzy with wine and the long day’s work but a wicked idea crossed her mind. She untangled herself from the chair to walk over to Harvey at the sink. She wrapped her arms around him before nuzzling her face into his soft sweater. He shifted slightly before made no further acknowledge of her being there. She wanted to wait till he used to her being there before moving on to step two of her plan.

At least that had been the plan but the longer she held him the more of his warmth seeped into her. That scent she loved filled her senses. Her arms loosened her hold on him but didn’t move further south like she had planned on doing. Instead, they just stayed in place. She felt Harvey twist in her arms so that he was facing her. She struggled to open her eyes.

“Come on, sleepyhead.” He placed a kiss on her crown but picking her up. She rested her weight against him. He placed her on the turned down bed. She wondered how he had managed to do that while holding her. He started to stand up but she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Wait,” muttered Adelaide.

“Yes?” he asked when she didn’t say anything further.

“I’m in the middle of seducing you. You can’t leave.”

Harvey smiled “Is that what you are doing?”

“Hmm, of course it is.”

“Ah, well. I am very seduced. if you let me go for just a minute I will get naked so I can get probably seduced.”

“Good.” She loosened her arms. She felt Harvey place a kiss on the inside of her wrist before leaving.

What felt like just a second later she felt him join her on the bed. She turned to him to pull him close. Oddly enough she didn’t come in contact with bare skin. She blearily opened her eyes to see he was wearing a shirt.

“Harvey, this is the opposite of what you are supposed to be wearing.”

“Cuddling before is important.” He pulled her close and started to rub small circles on her back. “Let’s do this just for a little bit, then we can move on to the main event.”

“ ‘Kay.” Before she could ask how long a little bit was she had fallen fast asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit longer than most since it is two correlating events.

**WINTER YEAR 1**

It's late, Adelaide isn't even sure if anyone is left in the saloon. She hadn't meant to stay in the mines for so long. A monster had shoved her against the cave wall which wasn't as solid as it looked. She had no idea how far she had fallen or how long she had been out. Every breath she took hurt so she tried to breathe as shallowly as possible. Of course, this made her dizzy. She barely made it down the stairs before she had to lean against the clinic till the spots faded from her eyes.

There was a clatter above her but she didn't pay it much mind till she heard a voice call down to her.

"Stay there!"

"Harvey?" No one answered her but she stayed still. In fact, she probably couldn't move even if she wanted. She closed her eyes. Maybe she would knock on the clinic door anyways. She knew very little medical stuff but even she was aware that being knocked out was a big deal.

When hands cupped her face she started a little. She gasped as pain flared through her body.

"Sorry." Harvey was now standing in front of her eye. In the light from the street lamps, she could tell he was worried. "I called to you, I didn't know you hadn't heard. That's very worrisome." He frowned. Adelaide decided she didn't like it when he frowned. She tried to tell him but no words came out.

"Don't worry Adelaide, I will take care of you."

Those words were the last thing she was fully aware of for a while. She had brief snatches of clarity where Harvey was moving her or something pressed against her injuries. Thankfully soon, or maybe it was a long time, it was over and she was left in peace. The room was unfamiliar but she recognized to tone of Harvey's voice close by so she let herself drift off.

The sun was shining full force though the curtained window when Adelaide woke. She tried wiggling all her extremities, just to make sure everything was in working order. It still hurt to breathe and her left arm feel heavier than it should. When she turned her head to look it didn't make her dizzy. That seemed like a good sign. Her forearm to palm was wrapped in bright white gaze.

"Good, you're awake."

She turned to see Maru standing at the foot of her bed. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself. I will go get Harvey." She gave Adelaide a small smile. "I would prepare for a lecture of a lifetime. I would give you one too but I don't think I could top anything Harvey is going to do."

She felt her face grown hot. "Gee, thanks Maru."

"Don't mention it." She turned on her heel and left her alone. She wondered how much longer before Harvey showed up and just how bad would it be. It wasn't like she had done it on purpose.

The more minutes passed the more worried she got. She had never really gotten in trouble growing up, she wasn't use to waiting for lectures on things she actually did wrong. Mostly they came from whatever fault her mother had decided she had had at the moment. She wondered if they were worse when you were guilty. To her utmost shame, she felt her eyes start to burn. Now more than ever she hated the fact she could cry at the drop of a hat.

The partition past the end of her bed opened up. Harvey wasn't looking at her but down at what she assumed was her chart. He didn't look mad but her impending doom made her tear up even more.

"Sorry for the wait, an issue popped up. I didn't- " Harvey stopped when he looked up. He was a little distracted before when now he was focused on her with an intensity that was a little unnerving. "What's wrong? What hurts?"

She shook her head. "That's not it."

"You aren't having high levels of pain?"

"No, I'm sore and it hurts to breathe deeply but that's it."

"I don't think that list is allowed to be labeled under "that's it." It's a worrying list."

"Can you just get it over with please?" She closed her eyes. It made the tears falling but she knew if she kept them closed it would help her from crying more.

"Adelaide, why are you crying?"

"It's just something I do, don't worry too much about it. I'm a crybaby. I just don't want you yelling at me for very long so please just start."

She felt Harvey cup his hands around her uninjured one. "I'm not going to yell at you."

She opened her eyes, tears had stuck to her lashes so he was a little watery looking. However, she could still see the soft look in his eyes. "You aren't going to lecture me?"

"Lecturing and yelling are and should be two very different things."

"Oh."

"I was planning on explaining the dangers of the mines and precautions you should take but that can wait if you like."

"Um, no. Now's okay. If you are sure you don't need to yell."

"Adelaide," his voice took on a serious tone. "It will never be my intention to yell at you. If I ever do or if you feel that I am yelling at you, tell me."

"Okay."

"Good." He started to check her over as he calmly informed her of the dangers of her actions. She was grateful that she had something to focus on while he talked to her. He never once raised his voice but she still felt nervous.

"You will be spending the day with me. I have a few patients but you can wait in the front room with Maru at those times."

"Okay. Wait…why?"

"You don't need to stay in bed but I want to keep an eye on you and make sure your head is okay, you had no bleeding but there is a sizable bump."

"Okay." She wished she could say more but she was still feeling out of sorts. She had just been lectured but nothing was said in anger and everything he said had made sense. She just wasn't use to it. He smiled at her and she smiled back. A small part of her looked forward to spending the day with Harvey. She hoped she would get to do it again when she wasn't injured.

**WINTER YEAR 3**

The first thing Adelaide notices is how quiet the morning is. After a few years, she had learned that that most likely means there was a snowfall last night. However she didn't bother to check, instead she wiggles back so that her back was flush with Harvey's chest. His arm tighten around her in response.

"I thought you were supposed to be sleeping in."

"Harvey, Harvey," Adelaide gave a dramatic sigh. "You don't know by now that if the sun is up with me still being in bed, I've slept in."

"I hope that rules doesn't apply in summer."

"Of course it does."

The warmth at her back disappeared, but before she could complain he shifted them so that he could look down at her.

"The sun is up for far too long for most the summer for you to be getting proper sleep. Sleep is-"

She cut him off with a kiss.

"I know, I was tensing. Thank you for caring, my darling husband."

She enjoyed the way in cheek turned pink.

"I like it when you call me husband, wife." He gave her a smile that warmed her heart. He leaned down to kiss her along her jawline.

She liked being called wife too, but she wasn't interested in giving him the upper hand this morning. "That's just cause it's new. We haven't even been married for 96 hours."

"I will still like it when were are marrying for 96 years." He kissed behind her ear. "Do you do the math or did you just pick a high number?"

"I can multiply by twenty-fours, doctor man."

"If you can I'm obviously not doing my job well enough." The arm not supporting his weight moved so his hand could trace circles on the exact stop on her hip that always made her breath catch.

Her laugh came out breathier than she wanted. "Dr. Harvey, are you trying to cure me of hysteria?"

"Your _husband_ is trying to make your morning pleasant." His lips finally met hers. They both shifted so that he was covering her more fully. She was very glad they hadn't gotten dressed after last night.

A loud shrill pierced through their haze. Adelaide knew that sound, she hated that sound. She whined when Harvey moved away but made no further protests. She watched as Harvey moved to the emergency clinic pager. She really wished they could have gone on their honeymoon but the covering doctor had emergencies of her own that came up. She was very frustrated in more ways than one.

"Oh."

Harvey's tone bought her out of her sulk. "Is it bad?"

"No, but I will be gone awhile. Apparently, someone has gone into labor."

She sat up. "What? No one is pregnant in the town."

"We do have a few tourists that tend to visit the valley for the first snowfalls. It's possible the code is for one of them. but that's the code."

She tried to remember if Harvey had delivered babies before. "Is everything going to be alright?"

"I have delivered babies before if that is what you're asking. So long as there aren't major complications it will be fine. I just don't know how long I will be. I'm-" Harvey turned to her and saw that the sheet had pooled around her thighs. He cleared his throat and looked at the wood grains on the floor.

"Sorry." She pulled the sheets up.

"Don't be." He walked over to her. He placed a kiss in her hair. "I'm sorry I have to go and I don't know how long I will be gone."

"I can give you a- I can take you there if you want." She changed the sentence midway, thinking of how the first one could be taken. When Harvey cleared his throat again she knew he had noticed as well.

"No, I need to take the walk. It's not like in the media. Most labors are slow, her water hasn't even broken."

"Okay."

"I love you." He kissed her cheek. His lips linger a second longer than normal before he hurried out the door.

Adelaide flopped down on the bed. She supposed she could finish what they started but she didn't really want to. All she wanted was her husband. It was strange, not much had changed apart. Harvey officially live at the farm but he basically had before the wedding. He only stayed at the clinic on appointment days. Maybe it was a physiological, but that little bit of paper seemed to make things feel different. She groaned into the pillow closest to her, which turned out to be a mistake. It was Harvey's pillow. She rolled out of bed, she didn't want to be here alone. There were no crops to care for and Shane had promised to look after the animal so she figured she could go beat her frustrations out in the mines.

Adelaide was having an odd feeling of déjà vu. Apart from one of her first trips into the mines she had managed to remind mostly uninjured. Today appeared to be the exception. At least this time she hadn't passed out. However, that was only because she had landed in what had seemed to be a burrow of red slimes. Thankfully she, along with the rocks that fell through the hole with her, crushed most of the monsters. She felt sore and winded but she could still breathe without it hurting. She had made it to the elevator quickly and without running into anything else.

The sun shone far too brightly outside the cave for her liking. It didn't matter that is was hiding behind clouds. She wondered if she should be concerned about that. Harvey would know. She hoped that the baby had been born she didn't know if she could manage the outside stairs to the clinic apartment. She rather take the easy inside stairs.

No one was out and about between her and the clinic so she didn't have to stop and explain herself. She was glad, one lecture from Harvey was going to be more than enough. She couldn't imagine what the older folks of the village would say. Last time the thought of it her in tears but now she didn't think too much of it. It had been an accident. She hadn't meant to fall down a hole. Also, she had left a note so if anything did happen people would know where to look for her. More importantly, she trusted Harvey more than she had ever trusted anyone before. He would never yell or upset her on purpose.

Finally, she was at the side of the clinic. She paused at the stairs towards the apartment. A shrill scream caused her to jump. She looked to see Caroline standing at the open side door to the clinic. So much for not being noticed. Adelaide looked up the staircase longingly; she had been so close. Looking back at Caroline she noticed she had gone pale. That was odd, she had looked that bad in the cave and she knew she didn't have bones sticking out of her.

Maru appeared around Caroline. One look at her had her swearing.

"Maru wha-" She stopped when Maru all but dragged her into the clinic. That snapped Caroline into action too.

"I know you're in stock but I need you to tell me where that is coming from." Maru and Caroline. had taken all of Adelaide's weight between them. She wasn't sure why but it felt kind of nice to be off her feet so she didn't complain. Also, she figured they might all end up on the floor if she tried to protest.

"Where what is coming from?"

"Adelaide, where are you hurt?"

"Just about everywhere I think. I took a tumble."

Maru snorted. "I wouldn't call it that. Please be more specific."

Before she could answer the door to the private patient room opened. Harvey stepped out with a furrowed brow. If Adelaide thought Caroline had gone pale Harvey went absolutely ashen. He let out a small noise that she didn't like in the slightest.

"Harvey," Maru's voice was sharp, which made Harvey snapped back. He schooled his face into what she thought as his doctor face.

Harvey took long strides to take Caroline's place. "Caroline, check to make sure the mother and baby are still doing well."

"Harvey, you can't."

"Yes, I will."

Maru frowned but Caroline relinquished her spot to him and went into the private room. With Harvey Maru was there for balance more than anything. Soon she found herself in being lain down on a bed.

"Adelaide, can you hear me?"

Confused by the question she just nodded. She didn't like his distracted voice either. She wanted his warm familiar tones.

"Good, I'm going to cut your top off okay." He reached for her but she smacked his hands away.

"No, it's not okay."

"Ad-"

"You know how much I had to do for the guild to get this?"

"It's-"

"It took-

"Love, please!" His cool doctor tone was gone but she disliked the desperate edge it held now even more.

"It's not hers."

Harvey turned her attention to Maru, who had come to stand next to Harvey. She held her hand out of Harvey. Something was on her fingers but she couldn't tell what it was laying down.

"I don't think it's anybody. The constancy is wrong." Maru looked over at her. "How did you get hurt?"

"The ground gave way. I felt into a burrow? I think?" She winced as she sat up. "It was full of red slimes but most of them were dead when I landed on them with a butch of rocks so it wasn't too hard to get away."

"Red slimes…" Harvey collapsed into the chair beside the bed.

"I'm going to wash my hands." Without waiting for them to respond Maru left.

Harvey didn't move. She slid off the bed to stand in front of Harvey.

"Harvey?"

He glanced up at her but flinched. He closed his eyes. "I can't…Your clothes…

For the first time, Adelaide looked down at herself. She was a sticky, dirty mess. The red slimes had stained her clothes rusty red color. Everything clicked. From the beginning, she had known what she was covered in but if someone didn't she could easily see how it could look like she was covered in blood.

She removed her top and tossed it over the other side of the bed, no longer caring about its craftsmanship. She removed her pants as well. She still felt a bit dirty but she wasn't covered in red anymore. She moved closer so she could cup Harvey's face. He opened his eyes and they raked down her form.

"You're okay."

"Yeah, I'm sure a bunch of bruises will show up soon but I'm not bleeding."

He pulled her closer so he could rest his forehead against her. "I thought….I don't know exactly what I thought, but see you looking like that." He pulled her even closer.

She raked her hands through his hair, "I'm sorry."

Harvey pressed a kiss to her belly but there was no heat behind it. "You're okay."

"Yes."

He moved her away just enough to be able to stand. She saw tears on his cheeks. She reached up to kiss them away. His face pressed against her neck.

"I am trying to think up for a lecture to give you about the mine but I can't think past being relieved that you didn't show up covered in your own blood." His hands bunched on the fabric of her undershirt. "If I stop to think about it, of course it couldn't be yours. You wouldn't have made it down the mountain if it was. But I saw you….I just couldn't think."

"We don't need a lecture, I came here for my husband, not the doctor. I actually just wanted to take a shower." She felt more than heard his huffed laughed against her skin.

"And yet you get dragged into the clinic." Harvey wrapped his arms around her so that there is no space between them. Her sore muscles protest a bit but she doesn't voice any objections. After the scare he had, she is fine with however long or tight he needed to hold her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All medical stuff is Rule of Drama


End file.
